Gillingham father delivers son in the front seat of his car

Quietly resting in the arms of his mother and father, little baby Toby has no idea about the drama his early arrival caused.

He was due to be born today, but shortly before 4am on Sunday he was welcomed into the world in the front seat of a car as his father delivered him.

Sarah Childs and Lee Roberts were told to go home from the James Paget University Hospital, in Gorleston, at 10.30pm on Saturday as she was not far enough into labour.

But when they returned to the hospital more than five hours later, they arrived with a babe in arms after Miss Childs gave birth to Toby by a bus stop in Bradwell.

The couple, from Rectory Road, in Gillingham, near Beccles, were on their way back to the hospital shortly before 4am when Miss Childs’s waters broke and it became clear they were not going to make it in time.

Miss Childs, 27, said: “I knew the baby was coming as soon as my water broke, there was not really anything I could do. I was trying so hard not to push, until he stopped the car.”

Mr Roberts, a 32-year-old self-employed carpenter, called 999 as he pulled over at the bus stop and was soon being talked through labour in the front of their three-door Audi A3.

“It happened so fast, I almost did not think about what I was doing. Someone was on the phone and I just did what they said,” he said.

Miss Childs added: “If you think about it afterwards, with the thought of cars and taxis going past it is a bit horrifying.”

On the roadside they were told to wait for the ambulance to arrive but, after waiting for 20 minutes without an estimated time of arrival, they drove on to the hospital where they were greeted by the staff.

The couple, who also have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Betsy, said they were really grateful to the hospital staff who were said to be “amazed” at what had happened that morning.

“The midwives came down to get me out and were absolutely brilliant.

“They took the car keys and cleaned the car, parked it and took care of the ticket, it was absolutely amazing,” said Miss Childs, a health care assistant at Beccles Hospital.

“It was a Sunday night shift but they still managed to do that for us.”